Metal reinforced wear lift



July 31,, E951 E. G. FUSSELL ETAL 295629255 METAL REINFORCED WEAR LIFT Filed July 19, 1949 Patented July 31 1951 if; .l ki

' ii NI EPJ A METAL REINFORCED WEAR'LIFT Ernest George Fussell and Claude Board Champion, Worle England This invention relates to an improved metalreinforced wear lift. 1 When it is desired toapply a metal reinforcement to the heel of the shoe, for example, at the back of the heel .wherethere' is most wear, the usual method is to attach .a metal reinforcing piece to the'heelof'. the shoe with nails, and then cut and shapeeithera piece of leather, rubber or. composition to fit the metal piece so as to. obtain a flush treading surface The shaped and cut top piece is applied independently to the heel of the shoe with nails in'the normal way. Alternatively the metal reinforcement or tip is.roughly fitted to atop piece and'sold or supplied for final fixing to heels. The object of the invention is to reducethe labor involved in the .above -method and to provide an improved toppiece. "i

According. to this -invention we providea moulded top .pieceof rubber, synthetic rubber or composition, with .a..metal reinforcement which is keyed to it during the moulding operation so that the top piece and reinforcement can be applied to the shoe as a unit. The key for securing the metal reinforcement to the moulded por-' tion preferably comprises an apertured flange projecting from the metal reinforcement which is embedded in the moulded portion. The mouldable material penetrates through the holes and. securely holds the reinforcement in position making a perfectly tight joint between the two parts.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an underneath view of a pair of top pieces, part of the rubber being broken away to show the construction.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the top pieces shown in Fig. 1 partly in section taken on line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a modified form of top piece made according to this invention, part of the moulded rubber being broken away.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a further modification of reinforcement before being applied to the top piece.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the reinforcement shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is an underneath view of a further form of top piece.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. '7, and

Fig. 9 is a plan of a further form of reinforcement.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a pair of top pieces are shown which are moulded as a unit and Weston-super- Mare,

' Application July 19, 1949, serial No. 105,622

" InGreat Britain July 27, 1948 1 Claim. (91. 36-35) .2 I afterwards cut apart: Eaeh top piece I is about A. in thickness and the reinforcement 2 is near- 1y as thick and its'outer edge-3 is suitably curved so as to fit the back of eitherthe right orleft heel, a differently shaped reinforcement being, of course, required for right and left heels, The top piece for the right hand shoe is shown on the left of Fig. 1, and the left hand toppiece is shown on the right. Each reinforcement is provided with a flange 4' having a. plurality of holes 5. That portion of the periphery of the toppiecel to which the metal reinforcement 2' is applied is set back in relation to the restof the periphery, so that at each end of the reinforcement 2 there is a projecting edge of rubber or thelike 6 which can be pared off when the top piece I has been applied to theheel of the boot or shoe. The advantage of this arrangement is to allow for adjustments and assist the repairer or fitter in fixing the top pieces to fit the heels.

In order to make the top pieces, the reinforcements Z'are placed in the mould with a hard rubber composition. During the moulding process the rubber penetrates into the holes 5 in the flange which is embedded in the hard rubber. The pair of rubber top pieces and reinforcements are removed from the mould as a complete unit, the metal being exposed on the treading surface but not on the surface abutting the heel of the shoe. The top piece can then be applied to the heel of the shoe in the usual way by nails, which are hammered through the rubber which fills the holes 5. In this way the top piece is secured to the heel evenly all round and makes an extremely neat and strong finish.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the reinforcement 7 has nail holes 8 and the flange 9 has holes It not intended for nail holes.

The reinforcement may take various forms other than those shown in Figs. 1 to 4, for example, it may extend around the back of the heel so that the same shaped piece could be used for right and left heels, or it may extend over a large portion of the treading surface and be provided with large apertures which are filled with rubber during moulding.

The key or flange may vary. For example, instead of several holes to provide the key, an elongated or arcuate aperture is provided. Alternatively, instead of the flange being continuous, it may comprise apertured lugs H as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 or it may be dispensed with altogether and the nail holes in the reinforcement form the key. The inner edge of the reinforcement may be provided with dove-tailed slots and the nail holes countersunk.

It is not necessary to have holes in the reinforcement to form the key for uniting it with the.

rubber or composition. The flange or embedded lugs are so shaped as to provide the key. This may be done by providing projecting lugs which are joined to the rest of the reinforcement by narrower portions. The reinforcement shown in Fig. 9 is an example of this. Suitably shaped lugs for this purpose would be substantially triangular, diamond or bulbous or any other shape which would be practically impossible to pull out after the moulding operation. I l

In the modification shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the embedded flange 12 may have serrated teeth or spikes 13 to assist in keying. Theseserrated teeth or spikes may be mounded in at any angle up or down to assist further in keying the metal to the rubber.

According to a modification the embedded hori zontal flange is dispensed with and a narrow vertical flange sustituted. This flange may terminate in teeth or spikes which if desired can be turned at right angles to the said flange.

The invention described above can also be applied to the soles of boots and shoes requiring metal reinforcement.

We wish it to be understood that the dimensions given above are by way of example only and can be varied to suit individual requirements.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A metal-reinforced wear lift for a heel of a boot, shoe and like footwear articles, comprising a body of molded material having substantially parallel upper and lower surfaces, a metal reinforcement embedded in said body and having a relatively thick tread portion with an arcuate back surface which is substantially continuous with respect to an arcuate back surface of said molded body, a flat top surface which is completely embraced 4 within the molded body with a portion of the molded body material overlying said top surface to provide a cushion above the reinforcement, a flat bottom surface which is flush with the said lower surface of the body, and an elongate flange which is rigid and integral with but thinner than said tread portion and extends radially inwardly from the latter entirely between the planes of said top and bottom surfaces of said tread portion in spaced relationship to both the upper and lower surfaces of the molded body; the said flange being of 'a length at least equal to the greater 7 part of the length of a cord extending between opposite ends of the arcuate back surface of the metal reinforcement and having openings at plural points therealong into which the molded material extends to key the metal reinforcement 'fir'mly in place within the wear lift, and the said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date 296,454 Richardson -1 Apr. 8, 1884 296,455 Richardson Apr. 8, .1884 371,316 Hayward Oct. 11, 1887 596,878 Holstein Jan. 4', 1898 1,189,472 Opperucl July 4, 1916 1,322,285 Bremberg Nov. 18, 1919 2,031,753 Wright Feb. 25, 1936 Certificate of Correction I Patent No. 2,562,265 July 31, 1951 ERNEST GEORGE FUSSELL ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requirlng correction as follows:

Column 4, line 23, for fuel read heel;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 2nd day of October, A. D. 1951.

[sun] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

